Danube Wilderness
Restoring natural river dynamics, floodplain forests and grasslands across the Danube lowland.
The inland Danube floodplains of Slovakia and Hungary were once shaped by a dynamic network of river branches, wetlands, alluvial forests and species-rich grasslands. Seasonal floods, natural sediment transport and grazing by large herbivores created a diverse landscape that supported exceptional biodiversity and sustained local communities for centuries.
During the twentieth century, river regulation, flood-control infrastructure and the construction of the Gabčíkovo Hydropower Plant fundamentally altered natural river dynamics. River branches were disconnected, wetlands drained, groundwater levels declined and large areas became isolated from natural flooding. At the same time, traditional grazing disappeared, invasive species spread and many valuable grassland and forest habitats began to deteriorate. These changes contributed to severe declines in fish populations, species diversity and the ecological processes that once maintained the landscape.
Working across the Danube floodplains of Slovakia and Hungary, this project is restoring natural processes and reconnecting people with the landscape.
Danube Lowland, Slovakia, Hungary
BROZ conservation association
Ongoing since 2026
The ELSP is contributing US$4,700,000 of co-finance to several projects (with the budgets in total US$18,874,150) that are financed by the LIFE and Interreg Programmes of the European Union
165,000 ha
Danube river branches and side arms, wetlands and oxbows, alluvial forests, wet grasslands and salt marshes, dry grasslands, wild river islands, pollarded willows
Sterlets, nase fish, huchen / Danube salmon, zingel (Zingel zingel & Zingel streber), Balon’s ruffe, European fire-bellied toad, Danube crested newt, kingfisher, sand martin, white-tailed eagle, black stork, Pannonian root vole, European ground squirrel, Tartar bread plant, greater sea-spurrey
Water retention, carbon storage, nature-based tourism, habitat connectivity, water purification, cultural and traditional landscape values
Why this place matters
The Danube floodplains of Slovakia and Hungary contain one of the most valuable freshwater landscapes in Central Europe. A mosaic of river branches, wetlands, alluvial forests and species-rich grasslands provides habitat for a remarkable diversity of plants and animals, many of which are rare or threatened at the national and European level.
The landscape supports important populations of fish, amphibians and is home to endangered species of plants, birds and insects. Its floodplain forests and wetlands play a crucial role in water retention, groundwater recharge and climate resilience. Ancient pollarded willows, dynamic river habitats and extensive grasslands preserve ecological values that have developed over centuries of interaction between natural processes and traditional land use.
Today, many of these habitats are fragmented or degraded, and the ecological connections between rivers, wetlands, forests and grasslands have been weakened. Restoring these connections is essential for recovering biodiversity, strengthening natural processes and creating a resilient Danube landscape capable of adapting to future environmental change.
Action on the ground
The project will restore natural processes across the Danube landscape by combining wetland and river restoration, conservation grazing, species conservation and stakeholder cooperation, building on more than two decades of restoration experience in the region.
pollarded willows will be restored to preserve cultural heritage and habitat for specialised wildlife.
Two new European ground squirrel colonies and populations of five critically endangered plant species will be supported through targeted conservation actions.
of wetlands and 90 ha of wild river islands will be restored to increase water retention, biodiversity and climate resilience.
river branches will be restored or reconnected to improve hydrological connectivity, groundwater recharge and aquatic habitats.
of valuable grasslands will be managed through conservation grazing with traditional herbivores to restore habitat diversity and ecological processes.
native trees will be planted to replace non-native plantations, support the natural regeneration of native floodplain forests, and improve the ecological stability and connectivity of alluvial forest ecosystems.
Local communities, farmers, water managers and public authorities will be engaged through participatory planning, demonstration sites, policy processes and ecosystem-service assessments to support long-term landscape restoration and future scaling of successful approaches.
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